Waiting for God? · By Kate Hong
‘Waiting for Godot’ is one of the best-known pieces written by Samuel Beckett, an Irish novelist, playwright, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. I believe the plot of ‘Waiting for Godot’ is a lot more complicated than what it seems on the surface. This inferentially proves that ‘Godot’ in the text is undoubtedly not simply a character, but has a further meaning. It is my view that ‘Godot’ means ‘God’ because both words have similar pronunciations and like-symbolisms, both in the story and in history.
First and foremost, the pronunciation of Godot sounds like ‘God oh’. In the UK, audiences and critics often say GOD-oh, emphasising God as if he were the very figure they have been waiting for. Since Beckett was born in Ireland, UK, it is likely that he was to accentuate the word God. Meanwhile, there are bundles of coincidences for Vladimir and Estragon’s actions. For instance, Vladimir and Estragon are not actively searching for Godot, they're simply waiting for him to arrive. This can be compared to Christians awaiting the arrival of the Messiah. They are waiting for Godot in the hope that he would save them, and they are even worried that he might punish them if they stop waiting for him. They can’t be sure of his existence. Same as Godot, God seems to exist, but people always describe him in vague terms. People have never been able to accurately convince themselves, what God looks like. That’s why Godot never shows up in the play and he seems to be representing God.
In addition, the story ‘Waiting for Godot’, is basically a reflection on the past. In 1939, World War 2 commenced in Germany when Adolf Hitler invaded Poland on the 1st of September. Nearly 75 million people died, including about 20 million military personnel and 40 million civilians. Everyone on the globe experienced a feeling of hopelessness. Samuel Beckett was no exception. There are a lot of similarities between the play and the historical events. I believe that Lucky, and the citizens who were forced into these political events during WW2, are identical. For example, they were both abused as subservient slaves by their respective leaders, and were ordered around, with violence occurring frequently. Such violence is evident when Lucky endures a whipping.
What’s more, Pozzo is akin to Adolf Hitler, especially during the latter part of WW2. Just as Hitler’s power and dominance gradually declined towards the final stages of World War 2, Pozzo’s authority is progressively lessened due to his blindness. As a result, Lucky becomes his guide, without whom, Pozzo could no longer live without. The single tree on stage, could possibly symbolise unfairness and loneliness, Beckett was probably trying to make the point that unfair politics could lead to such loneliness, that it could kill people. If the politicians could bring an end to the war and the abuse, it would bring vitality and hope to innocent people. Thus, Godot equals God because they were both representing hope and longing.
In summary, I believe ‘Godot’ represents ‘God’ because their names sound very similar, and there is a strong correlation between characters in the story, to characters who played roles in actual historical events. It is also notable to consider the possibility that Godot hasn't arrived yet, simply because he is already there—he's nowhere, and he's everywhere at the same time… just like God.
